“Net zero” dominated conversations in the sustainability industry have been doing rounds for quite some time now. Large firms and financial organisations are increasingly committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, a far-off goal.
However, obtaining net zero is more complicated than simply setting goals. With Net Zero agreements in place, more countries, investors, and businesses are collaborating closely to accelerate the global adoption of cheap cleantech.
Bramble Energy, a cleantech startup based in London, has just secured £35M in funding to expand its game-changing capabilities that enable the widespread use of hydrogen, contributing to the larger goal of reaching net zero emissions. HydrogenOne Capital Growth plc led this funding round along with participation by existing institutional investors (BGF, IP Group, Parkwalk Advisors and the UCL Technology Fund).
Fund utilisation
The new funds will be utilised to accelerate the company’s global rollout of portable power solutions, as well as to continue developing its liquid-cooled fuel cell stack capabilities. Bramble Energy will use its innovative fuel cell stack technology in a variety of strategic commercial applications during this phase to enable decarbonisation in a variety of industries and sectors. Bramble Energy will take another step toward being the go-to name in scalable fuel cell technology while also becoming a prominent UK-based net zero success story as a result of this.
The new capital will also enable Bramble Energy to expand its UK-based workforce to over 100 personnel, serve as a springboard for the deployment of zero-emission projects with commercial partners, and ultimately assist the company reach its objective of becoming the world’s largest fuel cell supplier.
Because of expense, inflexibility, manufacturing complexity, and scalability challenges, hydrogen fuel cell solutions are currently limited. Bramble Energy’s breakthrough technology is changing the game by using an existing global industrial base. Bramble Energy can turn around bespoke fuel cell stacks from design concepts to physical units in days using the printed circuit board (PCB) sector, saving up to a year in development time compared to other manufacturers.
Bramble Energy, founded in 2016 by Dr. Tom Mason in Imperial College and University College London research labs, has grown rapidly since its previous fundraising round in 2020, expanding from a team of three to 35. With its hydrogen fuel cell technology, the cleantech disruptor is on a mission to help provide a cleaner and more sustainable society.
Need for clean energy
For decades, the energy sector has operated in one and only one way: by burning fossil fuels. However, the resulting devastation is taking its toll on our world. The realisation is spreading that society cannot survive in its current form. There is a growing awareness around the world that more sustainable solutions are needed to help with the energy transition. The net-zero objective of 2050 is rapidly approaching, and the only way to make it a reality is to embrace innovation. The energy sector has a significant responsibility to play in informing the general public about how energy works, the processes involved in producing it, and where the fuel used to power goods comes from.
Dr Tom Mason, CEO and Co-Founder of Bramble Energy says,“There is no bigger challenge that humanity faces than the climate crisis and our team’s core purpose is to help the world achieve net zero. Hydrogen fuel cells have long been viewed as a ‘future’ solution however deployment of this clean energy technology has been hindered by complex manufacturing and the high costs associated with this.”
“This is a hugely exciting time for Bramble Energy, with many eyes focused on the UK’s leadership role in the transition to a greener economy. The recent Series B funding round allows us to continue solving some of the greatest barriers to the adoption of fuel cells – through our ground-breaking manufacturing route, scale-up potential and low-cost production.”
The UK government unveiled its 10-point strategy for a green industrial revolution in 2020, with hydrogen mentioned several times as a pillar of enhanced decarbonization. Fuel cells have the potential to be a long-term renewable energy solution due to the availability of hydrogen as a fuel and the environmental benefit of being a zero-emission technology. Fuel cells can be scaled to meet demand and have a wide range of applications, from stationary primary power sources that provide reliable and high-power density off-grid electricity to portable applications like vehicle drivetrain integration and even mobile phone power.
Bramble Energy competes with the likes of Hinicio, Elcogen, Fuel Cell Systems and more.
Chairman Simon Hogan of HydrogenOne Capital, adds: “We are delighted to invest in Bramble Energy – a pioneer in hydrogen fuel cells – and are looking forward to working with the management team as the business scales. This is the latest transaction in a series of investments HydrogenOne Capital has made within the sector, showing that there is real momentum in our investment strategy and that we are creating a strong platform for further investments.”
Following the previous fundraising round in summer 2020, the firm has quickly grown from a team of three to 35 employees and is quickly becoming a top hydrogen fuel cell provider, assisting in the creation of a cleaner and more sustainable world.
